Rather than just giving emergency funds away to disaster-stricken communities, the U.S. government is asking local officials to compete for it.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, has launched the National Disaster Resilience Competition. The contest puts $1 billion up for grabs to the 67 communities that suffered a presidentially declared major disaster from 2011 to 2013. The funding will be used to help rebuild neighborhoods as well as bolster disaster preparedness plans.
"The National Disaster Resilience Competition is going to help communities that have been devastated by natural disasters build back stronger and better prepared for the future," said HUD Secretary Julian Castro. "This competition will help spur innovation, creatively distribute limited federal resources and help communities across the country cope with the reality of severe weather that is being made worse by climate change."
The competition has two phases – the framing phase and the implementation phase. During the framing phase, applicants must show their disaster recovery needs, outline how they will use the funds and demonstrate a commitment to becoming resilient community.
According to HUD, a resilient community is able to resist and rapidly recover from disasters or other shocks with minimal outside assistance. The deadline for the first phase applications is March 2015.
Applicants that aren’t selected to advance but demonstrate disaster recovery needs are each eligible to receive up to $2.5 million, or up to $500,000 for communities that have already received HUD disaster funds.
During the implementation phase of the competition, applicants will create an analysis for any proposed disaster relief projects. The proposals must include information about the social and ecological benefits as well as costs.
Funding for the competition is through the Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery appropriation provided by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.
Winners of the competition will be awarded funds ranging from $1 million to $500 million. HUD expects to make final award announcements in late 2015. The nonprofit is setting aside $181 million for communities in New York and New Jersey that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
